A fireworks group which famously set the Eiffel Tower alight and brought flame to the Olympics is giving a unique premiere performance at next year's Brighton Festival.

French company Groupe F uses fire like an artist uses paint, hurling it across the sky to create blazing canvases of light. It stunned audiences with its pyrotechnic artistry at the 2002 Brighton Festival with a performance in Preston Park incorporating music and theatre.

The UK premiere of the new show will be a highlight of the 40th festival next year.

Groupe F will perform with The World Famous fireworks company which provided the spectacular Streets Of Brighton finale in May.

The outdoor display next year will again be part of Streets Of Brighton.

Dave Reed, artistic director of The World Famous, said: "Having Groupe F perform with us is like Keith Richards coming on stage with The Beatles.

"They had a really good time here in 2002 and so did everyone who watched them."

The new show will be a one-off because of the input from The World Famous and is likely to have the same blend of artistry and spectacle as 2002's A Little More Light, which featured men with giant Catherine wheels strapped to their backs dancing between showers of sparks as music rose and fell in harmony with the fireworks.

Festival organiser Carole Britten said: "We're very excited to be bringing back Christophe Berthonneau's Groupe F as part of our 40th anniversary celebrations.

"It's a really exciting collaboration with The World Famous, making it a very special performance for Brighton."

The event is being funded by the Brighton and Hove Arts Commission's Making A Difference initiative through Lottery money from the Millennium Commission and Arts Council England's Urban Cultural Programme.